Skills learned after truck driver training & being out w/ trainer

Patience.

Of you can't get through something, wait till you can, or give yourself some time to think it through. Don't panic.

 

Sometimes a problem comes up where you aint learned nothing about. Empty page in the manual. YOU write it provided your solution at that moment is correct.

Make your decision one time and follow through. Do not waffle or hem and haw while the tires are skidding.

 

when to shut down.

whether it's because of weather conditions, fatigue, unsafe equipment or whatever.

the decision is up to you not dispatch.

 

Most of the mission critical items I learned were from this site, or applying bits of info gleaned from here and then realizing the practical limitations of them in a real world setting. The ones I find comfort in are as follows.

1. Your #1 job is to protect your CDL
2. You can go down a hill a million times too slow, but only once too fast.
3. Don’t move the truck until you know where you’re going and have a back up plan set.
4. Always check the kingpin before you leave.
5. If you only run legal and maintain your rig you won’t give a #### about weigh stations.
6. The best most experienced drivers still will have days backing up that are down right humiliating.
7. Stay away from the lunch counter supertruckers
8. Verify everything yourself.
9. 95% of this job is really easy. 5% will ruin your day or kill you. It’s not always easy to tell, when you’re new, which % you’re working in right then.
10. I thought more of my nights would be yelling at lot lizards.

There’s a lot more of course but those are ones I latched on to.

 

When you get out and look check for nails so you get no nasty surprises.

 

pooped tires only if you do not catch the flat coming up

 

If it’s forecast to snow while on your break, choose your parking spot carefully. Nothing that will require an uphill departure. And nothing where idiots will park in front of you boxing you in or making for a difficult maneuver in snow or ice. This might typically require stopping well before dark.

Keep your washer fluid filled with -20f fluid in winter. And keep at least 1 spare wiper blade.